(Golden Sheaf profile written by Jamie Neugebauer/SJHL Co-Director of Media)
The great writer Victor Hugo wrote, “Style is the substance of the subject called unceasingly to the surface.”
Yorkton Terriers defenceman Tommy Ries’s style is clear and consistent every time he plays.
Physical, mature, and whatever it takes to get the job done; essentially, what great hockey players and great farmers have in common.
“Thomas is every coach’s dream,” says Emery Olauson, Ries’ head coach and general manager in Yorkton.
“He is a second goalie out there, the way he blocks shots, and he is a fourth forward, and he can join rushes. He is working hard at his game, has become a leader in our dressing room at 18, and loves being challenged to play against other team’s top players.”
“On top of that, he brings an old-school toughness to his game and has no problem sticking up for his teammates,” Olauson adds.
“If you are watching a game that Thomas is playing, you can’t help but admire his competitive level and work ethic; as we predicted, he has quickly become one of our fan favourites in Yorkton.
Ries, now 19, hails from a grain farm outside Humboldt. However, the Melfort Mustangs listed him out of U18AAA because he fell just outside the Broncos’ auto-protect area.
The Ries family farm, led by dad Colin and mom Adrienne, produces a wide range of grain crops, including canola, wheat, peas, and barley.
Tommy’s main job is operating the grain cart, which collects grain from the harvester and transfers it to a bagger en route to storage space, where the crop is readied for transport.
The connection between his on-ice game and on the farm is abundantly clear to the well-spoken, thoughtful Ries.
“Growing up on a farm has helped me a lot in the game,” he says.
“(On the farm and in hockey), you have to work hard, be prepared to learn many hard things, and then bring it to the job with everything you have. I have had to work hard from Day 1 to get to where I am, and I know that will never change.”
Ries and his brothers Brad and Michael grew up watching the nearby Broncos, and according to Tommy, he always dreamed of playing for the Gold and Green at the Elgar Petersen Arena.
He spent his minor hockey career in the Humboldt system, and coming out of the Covid year as a 15-year-old without the legal ability to drive, he and his family elected for him to be patient, stay home and play U18AA for the Broncos, instead of trying for AAA right away.
After a dominant season, he moved on to two outstanding years for the Estevan Bears U18AAA.
Amid a brilliant 2023-24 campaign, during which he scored 38 points in 44 games while playing the same shut-down role that is his bread and butter, he learned that he was the centrepiece of a paradigm-shifting trade at the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League level.
On Dec. 10, 2023, amid a rebuilding season, the Terriers elected to send their local boy, superstar, and captain Clay Sleeva to the contending Melfort Mustangs. The haul Olauson got back is now legendary: elite centreman David Coyle, highly thought of 2007-born prospect forward Kale Johns, a draft pick, and the centrepiece of the return: Ries himself.
“I remember getting a call from (Melfort general manager Trevor Blevins),” Ries says, “and I knew the Mustangs had an incredible defence corps, so the chances of getting games or making the team next year would have been tough.
“The Terriers staff had watched me closely and said, ‘We need this guy on our team,’ so it felt good to be wanted like that, and I am happy to be here. I felt like the trade turned out well for everybody, and I felt that if I came to camp this year in excellent shape, I could make the team and play lots of minutes, so I’m happy that’s how it turned out.”
The Mustangs did go on to win the Canterra Seeds Cup SJHL Championship last season, with Sleeva playing a considerable role. This year, Coyle and Ries have been central to the Terriers’ terrific campaign.
For his part, Ries made the league’s Western All-Star Showcase squad in November, where he was part of the SJHL’s top Under-19-year-old players as they faced the Manitoba U19s. He has also been selected to represent the league again at the annual MJHL/SJHL Showcase in late January in Winnipeg, MB.
As much as Coach Olauson appreciates the play of the powerfully built 5-foot-11, 205-pound defender, Ries appreciates his coach right back.
“Emery’s system is perfect for my game,” he says.
“He loves the defenceman joining the rush, and it helps me, too, knowing that we have all these talented, experienced forwards who understand to cover me and the other ‘D’ when we jump in. Those guys are also big for me because I know I can fit in, be a leader, and show that I’m just here to win.”
Tommy mentions that as he has become more able to help on the farm, his desire to make it his career path has also grown. He and his brother Brad are currently conversing about their hopes to take on the family business together.
“I have actually started to really love farming,” Ries says.
“I enjoy buzzing around, working hard, and it’s fun. If my brother and I can do it together one day, that would be a dream come true.”
In the meantime, the shot-blocking, hard-hitting Ries continues to be a centrepiece for a Terriers squad that has consistently been in the league’s Top four. The team maintains championship aspirations and has one of the most talented rosters in the SJHL.
The ties between agricultural families and the Parkland Region where Yorkton sits are well over a century old, so it is little wonder that he is one of the players closest to the hearts of the Terriers’ faithful.